Category Archives: Leadership & Integrity

One does not have to look very far to find modern day examples of pastors and other church leaders who have made shipwreck of their ministries and lives. It seems like every month or two that some church leader is exposed for their embezzlement, adulterous affairs, or for their gross error in new doctrinal positions. It is bad enough for those who are close to the situation, but these type of situations wreak havoc throughout all of Christendom.

Samuel’s Boys

Like Eli before him, Samuel had a problem with wayward children. Not just any children, but his “Timothy’s”. These men were to judge Israel when he was gone. In fact, they were already serving in this capacity. These boys are said to have not walked in his (Samuel’s) ways, to have turned aside after lucre, and took bribes which perverted their judgment! This was a leadership recipe headed for disaster!

(1 Samuel 8:1-31 Samuel 8:1-3English: King James Version (1611) - KJV8
1 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.
3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

WP-Bible plugin) “And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.” (KJV)

We are shown, many times in the Scripture, how leadership affects people good and bad. Listed below are four common aftershocks of Pastoral Leadership Gone Wild!

When Pastoral Leadership Fails, It Gives The Opportunity To Make Things Worse – Usually starts with the infamous, “Well, if he/she did that and they are “*#&^” then I don’t see why I cannot do the same!”

When Pastoral Leadership Fails, It Gives Occasion For People To Overreact And Move To The Extreme – A strong willed pastors leaves, quits, etc. then usually the people opt for someone to the opposite extreme! Seen this happen time and time again!

When Pastoral Leadership Fails, It Gives Satan An Avenue To Turn People To Wrong Leadership – More times than not, immature Christians will embrace weak/bad leadership when this happens. They are really vulnerable and open to answers about what happened. They usually get the wrongs answers… Satan sees to that!

When Pastoral Leadership Fails, It Usually Keeps The People From Achieving The Same Spiritual Plain Of Leadership They Had Previous – The idea is that, “This time we will do it differently!”… and different it remains!

Conclusion

Samuel’s boys caused more problems than they realized. Not only did they dishonor God and their family name, but gave great occasion for Satan to swerve the masses away from Israel’s Theocracy! Israel went to Samuel and said they wanted a king to rule because he was too old and his boys were not right with God. Never mind they did not want to be right themselves. They just found opportunity to move their agenda forward. They wanted to be like all the other nations!

King David may have been a man after God’s own heart, but he was nothing like the King of all ages Who brought them from Egypt! Oh, how we who lead God’s people must be careful to stay right with God and follow in His footsteps! Otherwise it is Pastoral Leadership Gone Wild!

Charles Colson called it “the best book on Christian leadership I’ve read.” Discover why this timeless classic continues to equip tomorrow’s ministers—and challenges today’s shepherds—toward greater effectiveness! Revised and updated, Sanders’s hard-hitting study explores the essential qualities of a godly leader—and offers sterling examples from Scripture and Christian history. Includes study guide.
In these pages, J. Oswald Sanders presents the key principles of leadership in both the temporal and spiritual realms, illustrating his points with examples from Scriptures and the biographies of emenent men of God.

Tony Howeth and his wife Stacey are the proud parents of four children…Seth (16), Lauryn (14), Ethan (12) and Camryn (8). This November 26th, they will have been married for 20 years. Tony has had the privilege of serving at Whitfield Baptist Church for 8 years, pastored Bemiss Road Baptist Church for 6 years and currently is in charge of the prefield work of missionaries representing Macedonia World Baptist Missions. Continue reading

Have you ever observed a pastor that seemed to endure just about everything that came his way? Have you stopped to think about why he was/is able to endure? Of the many scriptural reasons as to why your pastor friend is weathering the storms of life, one that is likely present is that of joy! That’s right… JOY!

I have a preacher friend that has been through some major battles in just a few years. As each storm band has blown into his life, he just seemed to roll with the punches. On the outside looking in, I wondered why he is able to keep on, keeping on. I have come to believe that one of the things that seems to explain this is that he has a great depth of JOY in his life!

WP-Bible plugin) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” (KJV)

The kind of joy I am speaking of does not come from temporal pleasures of this life. It comes, however, through the fullness of the Spirit of God, from spending time with the Lord in prayer and fruitful Bible study. Quality time is an understatement. Obedience to the leadership of the Holy Ghost is mandatory!

It suffices to say that when we see a pastor friend, or any child of God, endure the storms of life, you can assume that their is joy in their soul. Weathered faces, worn bodies, and tear soaked cheeks may not display this joy, but under the saddened surface you will find joy of the Holy Spirit!

If you know of a seasoned saint of God that fits this description, then please leave their story in a paragraph or two in the comment section below!

Verse of the Day

Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. — Psalm 30:4-5 (KJV)